Editing Pope Gregory XIII (section)

==Early biography==

===Youth===
Ugo Boncompagni was born the son of Cristoforo [[Boncompagni]] (10 July 1470 – 1546) and Angela Marescalchi, and paternal grandson of Giacomo Boncompagni and Camilla Piattesi, in [[Bologna]],{{sfn|Borromeo|2002|p=663}} where he studied law and graduated in 1530.{{sfn|Crowther|1999|p=8}} He later taught jurisprudence for some years, and his students included notable figures such as Cardinals [[Alessandro Farnese (cardinal)|Alexander Farnese]], [[Reginald Pole]] and [[Charles Borromeo]]. He had an illegitimate son after an affair with Maddalena Fulchini, [[Giacomo Boncompagni]], but before he took holy orders, making him the last Pope to have left issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fiu.edu/~mirandas/bios1565.htm#Boncompagni |title=The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Ugo Boncompagni |publisher=Fiu.edu |date=3 December 2007 |access-date=23 June 2013}}</ref>

===Career before papacy===

At the age of 36 he was summoned to Rome by [[Pope Paul III]] (1534–1549), under whom he held successive appointments as first judge of the capital, [[abbreviator]], and vice-chancellor of the [[Campagna e Marittima]]. 
[[Pope Paul IV]] (1555–1559) attached him as ''[[datarius]]'' to the suite of Cardinal [[Carlo Carafa]]. [[Pope Pius IV]] (1559–1565) made him [[Cardinal-Priest]] of [[San Sisto Vecchio]] and sent him to the [[Council of Trent]].

In the year 1552, Ugo Boncompagni confirmed the paternity of his son Giacomo (or Jacopo). As stated in the online Archivio Digitale Boncompagni Ludovisi: "One of the most valuable items to emerge from the new archival finds from the [[Villa Aurora (Rome)|Villa Aurora]] is an autograph declaration in Latin and Italian dated 22 December 1552 by Ugo Boncompagni (1502–1585, from 1572 Pope Gregory XIII). Here Ugo confirms his paternity of [[Giacomo Boncompagni|Giacomo (or Jacopo) Boncompagni]] (1548–1612) by Maddalena de' Fucchinis, a servant in the employ of his sister-in-law Laura Ferro. The future Pope explains in detail the circumstances of the boy's conception, which took place in 1547 in [[Bologna]] after the Council of Trent had moved to that city; his motive was to assure his inheritance rights following the death (in 1546) of his father Cristoforo Boncompagni."<ref>[https://villaludovisi.org/2012/12/02/1552-ugo-boncompagni-gregory-xiii-confirms-his-paternity-of-giacomo-boncompagni-born-1548/#more-37 New from 1552: Ugo Boncompagni (=Pope Gregory XIII) confirms his paternity of son Giacomo]</ref>

He also served as a legate to [[Philip II of Spain]] (1556–1598), being sent by the Pope to investigate the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toledo|Archbishop of Toledo]] [[Bartolomé Carranza]]. He formed a lasting and close relationship with the Spanish king, which aided his foreign policy aims as Pope.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-27 |title=Pope Gregory XIII - PopeHistory.com |url=https://popehistory.com/popes/pope-gregory-xiii/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=popehistory.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Election as pope===
{{main|1572 papal conclave}}
After Pope Pius V (1566–1572) died, the [[Papal conclave, 1572|conclave]] chose Cardinal Boncompagni, who assumed the name of Gregory XIII in homage to [[Gregory the Great]], a 6th-century reforming pope. It was a very brief conclave, lasting less than 24 hours. Many historians have attributed this to the influence and backing of the Spanish king. [[Charles Borromeo]] and the cardinals wishing reform accepted Boncompagni's candidature and so supported him in the conclave, while the Spanish faction also deemed him acceptable due to his success as a [[nuncio]] in Spain.